Current Stamford High girls basketball coach Diane Burns looked up and chuckled when it was pointed out to her at a recent practice.

"Yeah, and they were voted the winners back then. They didn't have a tournament," said Burns.

On Sunday, the Knights get to win their first state title outright as Stamford (24-2) will take on No. 10 Greenwich (19-4) for the CIAC LL Tournament final at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.

The Black Knights might win anyway if it was put to a popular vote after their postseason performance.

They finished the season with a four-game winning streak, including wins over Fairfield-Warde and Trumbull, the top two regular season teams in the FCIAC. Then, they swept through the field in the FCIAC playoffs to win the title, and the Black Knights have seemingly raised their level of play even more since the tournament began.

Stamford is averaging 67 points per game while allowing only 46, which included state tournament victories over No. 5 Norwich Free Academy, No. 8 South Windsor and No. 13 Ridgefield.

The Tigers were one of the Black Knights' regular season losses this year. The other was Greenwich.

Burns is in her third year at the helm of the Black Knights and while she would be the first to say having Tiana England on your side is a tremendous benefit for any coach, Burns is the architect of a solid team to go along with their star.

"Burns has meant a lot to me," said England. "On the court and off the court, she has helped me and I am grateful to have her there for me."

England has been everything a team leader and star is supposed to be in tournament play. She has scored at will -- even topping 40 points for the first time in her career with 41 in their quarterfinals victory over Norwich Free Academy. She has also showed off her skill on the defensive end and there has never been a question about who be handling the ball in every key situation.

"I'm very happy for her because she is just getting started on her journey," said Burns. "She is going to St. John's and they just won the Big East, so I plan on taking bus trips to see her next year, so I am very happy for her and I am thrilled I got the chance to coach her."

The Black Knights front-line has been another source of happiness for the coach. Junior Marthe Guirand along with sophomores Alexa Kellner and Andrea O'Connor are all over six-foot and athletic.

Kellner, an All-FCIAC First Team pick, has a great outside game as a shooter and passer to go along with her work on the boards. Guirand is the tough physical presence with her effort as a rebounder while O'Connor is a tenacious defender who drives opponents crazy.

"It's just a testament to how hard they work," said Burns. "They come into the gym and it doesn't matter who they are getting ready to play. We have four seniors who work their butts off so the younger kinds follow their example and they are never satisfied. If they learn something new today, they want to learn something else tomorrow."

O'Connor has been a perfect fit for the Black Knights' rotation. The sophomore gave a lot of credit for her success to Burns and the staff because she only started playing organized basketball two years ago. She will play a vital role against Greenwich's All-FCIAC center Abbie Wolf, who had 19 points and 19 rebounds against E.O. Smith in the Cardinals' semifinal win.

She spoke about getting some unexpected accolades, which are nice but not her focus.

"It's not so much about getting noticed as about getting the win as a team so if I don't get noticed it's fine," said O'Connor. "Wolf is tough. She's a big strong opponent but I've been working hard and I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Kellner will be another part of the puzzle against Greenwich. The Cardinals have an All-FCIAC second team guard in Caroline Beneville, who has scoring ability, and Emily Anderson so it will be about more than just holding Wolf in check and Kellner's scoring will help in the cause.

"I just want to enjoy it," said Kellner. "Our shots just weren't falling against them earlier but I think we will be more prepared this time."

England and the rest of the team have done a great job of maintaining their focus while staying loose. She admitted the extra attention from teachers and students had added to the fun and admitted when they take the floor at the Mohegan Sun reality may set in about the event.

There will be a lot of pride on the floor because it is another FCIAC team and neither wants to retrun empty-handed.

"They're a great team and it just goes to show the FCIAC has awesome teams in it," said England. "We're excited to play them and I'm sure they're excited to play us too."